ORLANDO, Fla.–– Nationally renowned personal injury attorneys Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law and Bob Hilliard of Hilliard Martinez Gonzales announced today that they have filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Orange County, Florida, on behalf of Yarnell Sampson, the father of Tyre Sampson. Tyre’s wrongful death occurred March 24 when he fell approximately a hundred feet from the Free Fall ride at ICON Park, billed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower.
“The defendants in Tyre’s case showed negligence in a multitude of ways,” Crump said. “One of the most glaring examples was failing to provide a $22 seatbelt on a ride that cost several million dollars to construct. From the ride and seat manufacturers and the installer to the owners and operators, the defendants had more than enough chances to enact safeguards, such as seatbelts, that could have prevented Tyre’s death. They didn’t, and their poor decisions resulted in deadly consequences for a promising young man and lifelong pain for his family. We will hold these defendants accountable for their failures so that a tragedy like this never has to happen again.”
The lawsuit details facts and circumstances about the events leading up to Tyre’s death, including:
- No seatbelts or secondary restraints were in use on the Free Fall ride. Most free-fall rides utilize seat belts in addition to over-the-shoulder harnesses.
- Tyre’s weight was significantly over the weight restriction listed in the ride’s manual. No height or weight restrictions were posted at the ticket counter. No employees present advised Tyre that he was too big to safely ride the FreeFall ride.
- Defendants allowed the proximity sensors for the safety harness to be improperly altered and manipulated so that the ride was able to operate without Tyre’s harness properly closed.
- The ride and seat manufacturer failed to properly design the ride so that the proximity sensor for the safety harness could not be improperly modified and additionally failed to provide warnings about the consequences of adjusting the harness sensors.
- Tyre fell at least a hundred feet onto hard pavement after he was ejected from the ride.
“This is a cascade of grossly negligent conduct by a full team of culpable and sophisticated defendants—all willing to sacrifice the simplest of safety measures to assure themselves the quickest and biggest payday possible,” said Hilliard. “How severely a Central Florida jury financially punishes these corporations for joining together and killing this young boy is the billion dollar question.”
The lawsuit names ICON Park; Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot, LLC; Extreme Amusement Rides, LLC; The Slingshot Group of Companies and The Slingshot Group; IDL Parent, LLC; ID Center (FL), LLC; Orlando Slingshot, LLC; High Rides, LLC; Funtime Handels, GMBH; Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, GMBH; Keator Construction, LLC; and I Drive 360 Management Services, LLC as defendants, alleging a practice of negligence and liability that requires relief for Sampson’s untimely and sudden death.
For a copy of the complaint, visit https://bencrump.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Sampson-Complaint-4-24-22.pdf
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
ABOUT HILLIARD MARTINEZ GONZALES
Bob Hilliard has led HMG to the forefront of national trial law firms. Having tried over 100 jury trials, Mr. Hilliard is also a two-time winner of the National Law Journal’s prestigious Elite Trial Lawyer of the Year award, as well as being recognized as a Super lawyer for the past 18 years. Mr. Hilliard is double board certified and recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States. In the past six months, HMG’s 40 lawyer firm has already secured over 100 million dollars in verdicts and settlements. For more information, visit https://hmglawfirm.com/.
